Sandhill Crane Photos for Sale

Crane Photos

Read T.R.'s Bird Blog to see where and how these birds were photographed

Read Trinity Mountain Outdoors Natural History Magazine to learn more about bird / animal behavior.

T.R. Michels Outdoor Photography

Duck, Goose, Swan, Crane, Egret, Heron, Shore Bird, Sora, Rail ,Coot, Eagle / Hawk, Turkey,

Perching / Song Bird

Whitetail / Pronghorn, Wolf / Wolverine / Mt. Lion / Lynx, Small Mammal, Exotic / Zoo Animals

Wildflower, Scenic, Sunrise / Sunset

Tawnya Michels Outdoor Photography

Eagles, Sandhill Cranes, Swans, Sunrise / Sunset, Scenic

Mike Brooks Outdoor Photography

Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Goat, Bison, Elk, Mule Deer, Coyote, Fox, Wildflowers, Scenic

Trinity Mountain Outdoors Photography

Ducks, Geese, Swans, Songbirds, Upland Game Birds, Wading Birds, Shorebirds, Eagles, Falcons, Hawks, Owls, Elk, Bighorn Sheep, Moose, Mountain Goat, Mule Deer, Whitetail Deer, Coyote, Mountain Lion, Red & Gray Fox, Wolves, Wildflowers, Scenic, Sunrise / Sunset

Photo Gallery Index & Photo, Calendar and Post / Note Card Prices

We offer Natural History Eco-tours & Photography Trips to several State and National Parks and other areas for Bighorn Sheep, Elk, Mule Deer, Mountain Goat, Moose, Wild Turkey, White-tailed Deer & Birds; $200 per person per day; maximum of 4 persons.

Birding, Wildflower & Scenic Photography Tours; $20 per person for 1-3 hours; minimum of 2 persons.

For more information contact T.R. Michels at Trinity Mountain Outdoor Adventures.

All photos are Copyrighted.

We offer 8x11 and larger photographs.

Order a Calendar of these Photos

Photograph, Calendar, Note Card & Post Card Price List

To purchase photos contact T.R. Michels.

Cranes (Grus)

Sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) are generally gray in color with occasional rust-colored streaks. Adults have a red forehead, while yearlings have a dark brown forehead. Adult sandhill cranes vary in height from thirty-four to forty-eight inches. The differences are not due to age, but rather to the genetics of the individual subspecies. Lesser sandhill cranes have a wingspan of approximately six feet; greater sandhill cranes have a span of seven feet. Although they appear large when they fly they only weight six to ten pounds.

Snadhill cranes mate for life, pairing up for the first time during the winter before their third birthday. They always lay two greenish-brown eggs; both parents take turns incubating. The first egg laid hatches a few days before the second egg. However, it is rare that both of the young survive the first year of life. Yearling birds stay with their parents for one year. When the parents return to the nesting grounds, last year's offspring are kept out of the parents' territory. When cranes fly in groups of three, the middle bird is usually the single surviving offspring.

The typical diet of a crane depends upon the time of year. On wintering grounds in Texas, about half their diet is tubers from sedge, a grass-like plant. On the staging grounds along the Platte River and other areas, over eighty percent of the diet is corn. On their nesting grounds over fifty percent of the diet is made up of bulbs of arrow-grass and other aquatic and semi-aquatic species.

Listen to Sandhill Crane Calls.

Most of these photos were taken on our Sandhill Crane Tours and Photography Trips at the Crex Meadows Wildlife Management Area in Wisconsin. Several Sandhills mate and spend the spring, summer and fall there. In the fall up to 5000 Sandhills may congregate there during the fall migration.